Draco's Angel II: Amor Aeturna
by Cyber Gal
Summary: *Ch 3!* In a world where there are no rules and you're free to do whatever you want, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. In the sequel to Draco 's Angel, the gang is put to the true test of friendship and nothing is what it seems. D/Hr plus others.
1. Left of the Middle

* Draco's Angel II: Amor Aeturna *

* Chapter 1: Left of the Middle *

* By Cyber Gal *

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! Ok anyway this is the sequel to Draco's Angel and it's called Amor Aeturna. That's Latin for Undying Love. If you're new and you haven't read my first story, then I advise you to go and read Draco's Angel. If you don't you may find parts of this confusing. Okay, there's some making out in this chapter so if you don't like that, when you get to the part, just skip over I until you reach *~*~*. Well without further adieu, here's the first chapter. (more after the story)

Draco Malfoy tossed and turned in his bed. It was his first day in his new house, actually it was Hermione's house. So far everything on that day had gone fine, but for some reason Draco couldn't sleep. He and Hermione had finished their sixth year at Hogwarts together, and surprisingly nothing else bad had happened. Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy still hadn't been found, but nothing of them had been heard lately. For the time being, Draco had almost totally forgotten about the Dark Side. He was focusing on his new life, with Hermione. Their relationship was going great; she meant the world to him. It was like with her, Draco was a total different person. He wasn't like his old self at all. 

It was almost like Draco and Harry had traded spots. After his whole event with Voldemort, Harry went into rehab training program. Mostly, he had recovered from it. As Sirius and Dumbledore put it, "All the stress of being a young teenage boy just went to his head." Harry didn't even remember most of it. Everything on that faithful day had happened so fast. 

Snape and Ron remained the same. Nothing had really changed about them since the whole event with Lord Voldemort. Snape was still his same old mean self and Ron remained overly paranoid about everything. Hermione had actually found it rather funny. Whenever the subject of Draco was mentioned, Snape became very sensitive and acted very protective, almost parent like. Both had come out relatively normal, just a little bruised up and very confused. Maria Silver, on the other hand, was sent to Azkaban for a life sentence on account of using the polyjuice potion.

All four had received medals for their acts of bravery. Mostly, it was just a sign for the four of them to keep their mouths closed about what had happened. Cornelius Fudge didn't want the wizarding community to get scared. But more so, Cornelius Fudge was scared himself. Voldemort was back and powerful. And if he got Harry Potter on his side, who knows what would happen. 

That day had gone fine for Draco. Actually, the day had flown by. After Hogwarts had let out for the year, Draco had ridden home with Hermione and her parents. Of course, as all parents would be, they were a little unsure about a stranger living in their house. Especially a boy who their daughter was very close to, but after Hermione had explained the situation, her parents welcomed him into their house with open arms, well at least one of them did. Draco felt they were doing it out of sympathy for him, but as long as he had a place to stay, he was happy. Hermione lived in a basic two-story house with three bedrooms, a kitchen, dinning room, two bathrooms and a living room. It was much smaller then Malfoy Mansion, but Draco was relived to be in something smaller, it was much easier to get around in. In his old house it had been an exercise to walk from his room down to the kitchen. All and all, he was happy with his new house, and his new life. But something was keeping Draco from a soundless sleep. There was just something unsettled in his mind, something that was bothering him. It was on the tip of his tongue, but yet he couldn't figure it out. As Draco finally drifted off to sleep, a strange dream filled his head.

__

In his dream Draco saw a girl with long strawberry colored hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a long green gown that fit her perfectly, showing off her slight curves. Next to the girl was a small blond boy with the same bright blue eyes. In fact, he resembled the girl a lot. Draco saw the girl walk around the room and over to small table. She sat there, watching the little boy. Every couple seconds she would glance over towards the door into the house, waiting for someone or something to pass through it. But it wasn't until a while later that something did pass through.

"Thank god you're alright!" The girl finally spoke as a tall man walked through the door and slammed it shut behind him, making the whole house shutter. The man was very tall with the same blond hair as the little boy, and blue gray eyes. In his hand the man held a small wooden box. Up the four sides it had four silver snakes each with an emerald eye. At the bottom of the four snakes for four key holes, each with the outline of a different key shape. On the top lid was some sort of writing that was usually unfamiliar to most people. 

"I'm sorry honey. I'll try and get home earlier, really I'll try. Work has been so strenuous lately. This box is getting harder and harder to keep a secret. Salazar Slytherin is becoming such a pain lately. The crack thinks we're up to something and demands to know what. I even found him snooping around my office the other day. And he's been acting so sneaky. He's the one that's up to something," the man explained rubbing his head and sitting down next to the girl.

"Nathan," The girl replied looking concerned. "You look horrible. Maybe it would be better for you to take a couple days off, stay home with your family. Your son barely ever gets to see you."

"No," The man replied sternly. "Now is an important time at work. They need me there. You don't understand how important this box is."

"Again with the stupid box. That's all you care about lately. I swear, you pay more attention to that thing then you do to me!" The girl replied frowning.

"My father gave me this box to protect and I'm going to do just that. He protected it with his life, I protect it with mine and someday our son will protect it with his," the man said getting aggravated.

"Our son is not touching that thing," The girl answered. "He's not going to become as obsessed with it as you are." The girl got up from her chair and walked into the other room angry with her husband.

"Robert," the man said picking up his son and putting him on his lap. "You want to take Daddy's box, right?" The little boy nodded smiling away. "Good. That's my boy."

Draco woke up sweating all over. The dream he had just had seemed so real, and the people had looked so familiar. When his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of the room, he looked around for a second forgetting where he was. He was used to waking up in his large bedroom on his four-post canopy bed. He was used to his large wardrobe across the room and his nightstand beside the bed. But now as he looked around he lay on a small bed with only a dresser and an armchair in the room. He was fine with his new house, but it was just new. It would take a while for him to get used to his new house, and to his new life. But he was willing to take his new life one step at a time, and with Hermione by his side, he felt he could to anything.

"Draco?" it was Hermione. She was smiling slightly, but Draco could see the worried look in her eyes. She looked beautiful to him in her long white silk nightgown that made her look like an angle, sent down from heaven. 

"Yeah Hermione. What's the matter? Is there something wrong?" Draco asked concerned.

"Oh nothing," she replied sitting down on his bed next to him. "You were talking in your sleep. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Oh, I'm fine," Draco replied wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her softly, not ever wanting to leave her embrace. She returned the kiss and brushed her hands through his sift blond hair, pulling him closer to her. 

Draco thought of telling her about his dream, but he didn't want to spoil the moment. Hermione broke the kiss momentarily for a breath and then returned back to him for another. Hermione felt that whenever she was with Draco, he was all that she could think about and when he kissed her, she never wanted to stop. He was so perfect, they were so perfect together, that Hermione was still thinking that this was all a dream and that at any moment she would wake up and it would all be over. Her life was at its highest point, and she never wanted it to end.

"Um…Hermione," Draco said in between kisses. "What about your parents? I mean if they come in here and see us, well, I don't think they're going to let me stay in your house ever again."

"Oh, they're heavy sleepers," she answered pushing Draco back on the bed and leaning into another kiss. This time instead of Draco making all the moves, Hermione was in charge. 

"Wow Hermione. I didn't know you had it in you!" Draco replied grinning a wide smile bearing a row of perfectly straight white teeth. 

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Hermione said reaching for his shirt.

*~*~*

The next morning Draco woke up to see Hermione sitting on the armchair across from his bed, grinning.

"Wow Draco. You snore very loudly," Hermione said trying to stifle a laugh. 

"Oh thanks," Draco replied sarcastically throwing a pillow at Hermione.

"Hey!" Hermione cried as the pillow hit her in the face. Hermione picked another pillow off the floor and threw it back at Draco. For several minutes the pillow fight continued until Draco ended it by tackling Hermione and pinning her down on the bed, when all the meanwhile, Hermione couldn't move due to a fit of giggles. 

"Fine, you win!" Hermione laughed staring up at Draco who was siting on top of her. "Now get off please!"

"Alright I will. But first you have to say Draco is the best boyfriend in the whole world and I am so lucky to have him all to myself. He is so smart, modest, and not to mention the most attractive guy to ever enter Hogwarts," Draco prompted.

"Draco is a big-headed git who worships the grounds he walks on and is very sarcastic and obnoxious and annoying, but yet, is so dead sexy," Hermione answered.

"Fair enough," Draco replied climbing off of her and off the bed. "I'm starved. Let's have some breakfast.

*~*~*

"So how did the two of you meet?" asked Hermione's father as the two made their way into the kitchen for breakfast. 

"At school," Draco answered trying to be polite. He didn't want to give Hermione's parents a bad image. "Hermione and I were in some of the same classes."

"Oh, that's nice." He answered. He still couldn't believe that his wife had let a _boy _that Hermione was _friends _with into the house. Especially one that looked like Draco did. Not that he was the bad looking kid, it was the total opposite. Draco was good looking, all the more reasons for Hermione to get involved with him. Hermione's father sighed to himself. But his wife had insisted that Hermione was smart and she would make the right decisions. He knew his daughter was smart, but as he remembered what it was like to be a seventeen-year-old boy, he didn't like the idea for Draco to be living in _his _house with _his_ daughter.

"No actually dad, I met Draco when I was locked in a dungeon, destined to be the next dark lord's wife. You see Draco saved me from Lord Voldemort and then we flew back to Hogwarts together," Hermione replied as if it were nothing. She smiled to herself knowing how her dad would react. She has said it purposefully to make her father mad. Her dad and her had a great relationship with each other. But it was a relationship where it was a constant contest between the two of them to see who could make the other one the angriest. 

"Honey! I knew we should have never allowed her to go off to that, that, that-"

"School, dear," Hermione's mother replied. They had this conversation everyday. But Hermione knew how to take care of herself. Mrs. Granger smiled. She had raised a smart daughter. 

"Yes that bloody school!" Mr. Granger replied. Whenever he got mad he had a tendency to forget certain words. 

"Dear, Hermione is smart. She can take care of herself," she answered rolling her eyes at her husband. After the four had eaten breakfast, Mrs. Granger spoke up again. "Oh, I almost forgot. You're father and I have a meeting to go to. Are you two alright staying home alone?"

"Staying home alone?" Mr. Granger asked outraged. "I don't think so!"

"Dear, settle down," Mrs. Granger sighed as she made a metal note to have a good, long talk with her husband. 

"Mum, Draco has some things at his house that he has to look through. Is that okay if we go to his house for that day?" Hermione asked hoping her mother would say yes.

"It's fine with me. But how are you going to get there?" Mrs. Granger asked glaring at her husband giving him the impression that now was a time to keep his mouth shut. 

"Well I was going to use a portkey, if that is alright," Draco replied.

"A portkey?" Mr. Granger asked not understanding the magical vocabulary.

"Yes a portkey. It's a sort of transportation device. When you hold onto it, it takes you instantly to the place where you want to go." Hermione replied for once happy that she knew something and her father didn't.

"Oh, well-" Mr. Granger started to say but as he caught the glare that his wife was giving him, he shut his mouth.

"Well it's about time that you're father and I be going so have a fun time you too," Mrs. Granger winked and walked into the hallway, her husband following behind her muttering things like "Kids these days," and "She doesn't know what's good for her," and "When I was young."

"I'm getting the impression that your father doesn't like me," Draco said as he heard the front door shut and a car drive off. 

"No he does. He's just paranoid. Sometimes I think he's related to Ron. Now those two would get along perfectly," Hermione replied laughing. "You have a portkey with you?"

"Well not exactly. But I don't think your parents would be happy with me and you flying on my broom," Draco answered.

"Oh yeah. My dad would have a heart attack," Hermione replied grinning. "Do you want to get going now?"

"Sure," Draco replied. "Just let me get my broom."

*~*~*

"Well here we are again," Draco said as he landed his broom in front of Malfoy Mansion. "Looks like it's the last time I'm going to see this place again." Hermione didn't know what to say. She knew it must have been hard for Draco, but he was never one to show it, or talk about it. "Well we're wasting time, let's go inside." Draco made his way up to his house and muttered a spell to unlock it. Before, Hermione would have been zapped to a million pieces, but all the dark arts stuff was removed and the house was remotely safe. 

As Draco looked around his house, everything looked unfamiliar. All of the Dark Arts things had been removed and since mostly everything in his house was the related to the Dark Arts, it looked empty. Draco walked up the large staircase to the third floor where his room was located. His room remained the same; there weren't any Dark Art objects there. Picking up a few things that he needed, Draco shoved them in his bag and made his way through some of the other rooms, picking up random things, not really talking much. Hermione followed behind not saying much either. 

After Draco had hit the most important rooms, he made his way up to the attic for one last check. The attic looked almost empty besides a couple rows of shelves. His father had kept all of his Dark Arts books up here along with many other types of weapons. Now remained rows of shelves and lawn furniture and old cloths. Basically everything that had went out of style was kept up there, things that the Malfoy's no longer approved of. 

As Draco walked past a row of shelves he saw something glittering in the darkness of the room. It stood out against all the other things and Draco wondered what something like that was doing in the attic. As he came closer Draco saw a small box that looked very familiar. It was made of wood, a very dark wooden color. On the four sides of the box were four silver snakes running up the side, each with a green emerald for an eye. At the bottom of the four snakes were four keyholes, each with the outline of a different key. On the top lid of the box was some sort of writing, but none that Draco could understand or even read. It was in an unfamiliar language, something of a different tongue.

"Draco, what's that?" Hermione asked kneeling beside him. 

"I don't know. It's written in a different language that I can't understand," he replied looking the box over.

"Here, let me see," Hermione said taking the box and squinting hard trying to read the writing.

"Hmmm…this is something I've never scene before. It's weird. Some of the letters are backwards. Well it's not Latin, or French. I'm stumped."

"Same here," Draco replied. The box looked familiar. He knew he had scene it somewhere else. It had been in his dream, but he had seen it in real life before.

"Oh," Hermione replied looking around her. "I left my bag downstairs. I'll be right back. Just let me go get it." Draco nodded as she left, but didn't take his eyes of the box. He remembered the man in his dream talking about it. What had he said? Salazar Slytherin was after it?

"Draco," came a voice that sounded very far away. It sounded almost like an echo, bouncing off the walls and coming right back again.

"Hello?" Draco called spinning around quickly, looking for the owner of the voice. As he turned, Draco caught a glimpse of a young, red haired woman wearing a long green gown.

"Draco," said the voice again sounding closer this time.

"Who's there?" Draco asked again running through the attic following the sound of the voice. As he came to the end of one of the bookshelves, standing in front of him was a short, thin girl with long red hair. She was wearing a long green gown that looked like it was from another century. She had very pale skin and deep blue eyes that looked very familiar. In fact, they looked just like Draco's. 

"Draco," the women said again in a whisper. She sounded very urgent as if she had to get something out before her time ran out. "I don't have much time, so you must listen to me and do exactly as I say. The box that you found, keep it, and don't let anyone else touch it!"

"What? Who are you and what are you talking about?" Draco asked confused. Usually he would have grabbed for his wand but there was something about this girl that made him keep it in his pocket. 

"Shhh," the girl replied. "Look, I will tell you more later. But I don't have much time now. Don't let anyone get ahold of that box. It's very important. The key to survival lies within the box. Do not let history repeat itself!"

"Wait, I don't understand."

"Yes you do! I have to go now. We will talk later," the girl answered, her voice again sounding far away. All of a sudden the image of the girl started to fade and in the blink of an eye she disappeared.

"Who were you talking to?" Hermione asked as she entered the attic again holding her bag.

"Oh, nobody," Draco replied picking up the box. "Well, I'm all done. We can go back now." The two of them made their way through Malfoy Mansion, Hermione not knowing that anything was wrong, and Draco confused at what had just happened. It was the girl in his dream that he gad been talking to. What had she been talking about? She had said that the box was the key to survival and that he had to keep it to himself of else history would repeat itself. Nothing made sense. But as Draco rode him that day, he had a strange feeling that things were going to get a lot weirder.

*~*~*

The End (for now)

Well, here I go again. The sequel to Draco's Angel! I never thought I'd get this far. Anyway this was a long chapter, so no complaining! And right in the first chapter we have some action going on between Draco and Hermione! All right, well getting down to business, I'd like to clear things up. The girl in Draco's dream isn't exactly a girl, she's about 17, but I didn't want to say woman because that would make her sound old. The guy is about 20 and the two of them are married and have a two-year-old son. I just wanted to clear that up. Anyway in the next chapter, more dreams more unexpected meetings, though not in attics, and things start to get weirder. You can also expect Draco and Hermi going to the burrow later on! This fic is going to be a little bit more serious then my last one. But I'll still try to add some humor into it. The title 'Left of the Middle' is a Natalie Imbrulio song. I think that left of the middle means things that aren't perfect. Like things in the middle are normal and good, but things left of the middle aren't. Like in the chapter, things were good but all of sudden weird things are starting to happen. That's all for now. While you're waiting for the next chapter check out my newest story **Written in the Stars. **Please review! I love to know what you think of my story, good or bad! That's all for now,

. : C y b e r : . : G a l : .


	2. In the Dark of the Night

* Draco's Angel II: Amor Aeturna *

* Chapter 2: In the Dark of the Night *

* By Cyber Gal *

Everybody's got something, they had to leave behind,  
One regret from yesterday, that just seems to grow with time,  
There's no use looking back, oh wondering, 

How it could be now, oh might have been,   
Oh this I know, but still I can't find ways to let you go.  
I never had a dream come true  
Till the day that I found you  
Even though I pretend that I've moved on  
You'll always be my baby,  
I never found the words to say   
You're the one I think about each day  
And I know no matter where life takes me to  
A part of me will always be with you.

-S Club 7, _Never Had A Dream Come True_

~*~*~

A woman sat in the corner of her small house watching her son sleep and nervously biting her once beautiful but now crooked and ugly nails. She looked stressed, and her once shining beauty had been forgotten, for no longer did she care about her appearance. The past couple weeks had been hell for her, and all hopes of a peaceful and happy family had all been washed away. No longer did she dream about the perfect family that her and her husband would soon have and the many children that they would grow old together watching. But instead, she had nightmares about the realization that things had taken a turn for the worse. Her husband had been gone for the past week, with no word or trace of where he was. And that damned box, the small box that had started it all, was gone too. She knew that her husband had taken it wit him, she was sure of it. He never let the thing out of his sight; everywhere he went, so did the box. Although she didn't know much about it, she assumed her husband was in great danger, as Salazar Slytherin was after the box and would stop at nothing to get his hands on it. She had told her husband time after time to forget about the box, and let some one else take over, but he wouldn't listen. He barely ever spoke to her anymore.

The woman jumped at a loud banging on the door; nearly knocking over the table at which she sat. She hurriedly ran from her seat, praying it was him.

"Nathan!" she cried as a tall man staggered forward covered in cuts and bruises. "What happened to you?" she asked cradling her husband's face in her hands and escorting him over to a chair. 

"L-lock the, the door," Nathan replied barely audible. She nodded and ran to the door, locking it as quick as possible trying to hold back the tears that where welling up in her eyes. "Salazar Slyhterin," Nathan said trying to catch his breath. "He's-he's…after the box-I tried to stop him,"

"Nathan, don't try and speak. You must rest," the woman replied trying to comfort her husband. "You can tell me all of this in the morning."

"No!" he yelled back at her standing up and heading towards the door. "I need to go back right now. If he gets to the source then-"

"Where are you going?" the woman cried pleading with her husband. "Nathan please stop. You're scaring me."

"Inside the box. I've got to go," he repeated. "The fate of the world lies within this box."

"You can't go!" the woman begged confused. "You're in a horrible condition! You'll get yourself killed, Nathan!"

"I have to go. I have no other choice," he replied sternly.

"What about me? What about your son? He barely ever gets to see you anymore," the woman cried, wiping away her tears. 

"I'll make it up to him, and you," Nathan answered picking up his small box and heading towards the door. 

"What if you don't come back?" she cried again unable to look her husband in the eye. He paused at the door for a moment, finally realizing what his responsibility of keeping the box was doing to his family, the pride and joy of his life. But with one final look at his wife and his son, he headed through the door, not knowing that that would be the last time he would ever pass through that door again. 

Draco sat up straight in his bed, sweating horribly. It was the same type of dream as before, but in this one he could actually feel the two people's emotions. He had felt the woman's sadness and her anger, and he had felt the man's pain. He had felt close to the two, as if tied into them somehow. Both dreams had felt so real. 

When his eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness, he saw a glimmer of sliver shining from across the room. Of course, it had been the stupid box, the box that had been the reason for his nightmares. As he stared at the odd box, Draco got the sudden feeling the he wasn't alone in the room. There, in front of him, he could just barely see the outline of a girl, but who's face was hidden by the darkness of the room. 

"Hermione?" Draco whispered.

"Not quite," The woman answered with a familiar voice. As Draco reached over to turn his light on, he felt a cold hand clamp around his wrist.

"Don't do that," the woman muttered silently. "Follow me. I'll take you to a place where we can talk."

"Wait a minute. Who are you?" Draco hissed trying to pry his hand free from the woman's tight grasp. 

"My name is Ariel Malfoy."

~*~*~

"You're the girl from my dreams," Draco replied once she had stopped walking. "You're a Malfoy?"

"Originally, no. My maiden name is Rivers. But I married Nathan, and became one," Ariel answered talking very fast. "I would be your great-great-great-great-grandmother."

"Wow, you look good for your age," Draco replied.

"Well there's where you're wrong. Let me explain. That box you have, it's very important. My husband Nathan, he protected it with his life. It was his job. You see, I don't remember much. My memory has pretty much been washed away. But I know that box holds something. It has a power that my husband was trying to protect. Salazar Slytherin was after it himself. My husband went to destroy that power, but he didn't make it. So I went after him. But, I got stuck. When you enter into that box, it preserves you, meaning that you never age. I am now the exact way I was before I entered that box. From here on in my memory is blank. I need your help Draco. You need to finish was my husband started. I was sent here to bring back a Malfoy that would be able to destroy the evil inside that box. Everyone has unfinished business, and this in mine. I've waited and waited for the right Malfoy to come along. Your grandfather Juska was too evil, and so was your father. But you're different Draco. And I need you to help me, please. Lord Voldemort is after that box. Salazar left it for his heir. And I know that if he gets it, something bad will happen. That's why you need to destroy the power, so that no one will be able to use it. Will you help me?

"I'll do what I can," Draco replied not really understanding what was going on. Normally he would have laughed at the woman. But this girl was different. Her story was so convincing, so believing. He couldn't help but say yes.

"Thank you," Ariel replied. "I shall see you again. For now, just keep the box a secret, and guard it. My time is up." And with that, Ariel disappeared into the dark of the night.

~*~*~

Hermione Granger happily walked down the library aisle browsing for any book that caught her attention. "Draco, would you hold these?" Hermione asked handing him a giant pile of books.

"You're going to read all of these?" Draco asked shocked. 

"Of course," Hermione smiled back adding another book to the pile. 

"I'll go wait outside," Draco replied sneezing at all the dust coming off of the books. "I can't stand to be in a library for more then five minutes. It's bad for my heath." He added sneezing again.

"I'll only be a couple more minutes," Hermione laughed as all the books in Draco's hands toppled to the ground causing a gigantic cloud of dust. "See you outside." She turned around another corner walking casually down the aisle chuckling to herself. _Poor Draco,_ she thought_. I dragged him to the library with me. I bet he'll never want to come again._

Hermione laughed again as she saw another glimpse of him staggering towards the door with the large pile of books in his hands, ready to topple over again. As she continued to walk along, Hermione smiled. She loved being in the library, she always had. Even though this one was a muggle library, she still loved reading all the fictional tales. She could loose herself totally in a book and forget everything going on in the real world. Books were her escape from reality. She could turn to them when times were bad. 

A sudden glimpse of redness caught her eye and took her from her thoughts. As Hermione walked closer, she saw a small bright red book tucked tightly into the very bottom shelf. Picking it up carefully and wiping off all the dust she red the title, _'The Beginning of Time: A History of Magic.'_ Hermione blinked. A library like this wasn't supposed to have books about magic. She opened up the book very slowly, but eager to see what the book was about. The book looked very old, with a yellowish tone to its pages. 

The Beginning of Time: A History of Magic, Hermione read. _At the beginning of time, when Earth was first young, three forces where made and sent out to rule over the land. A source of Good, a source of Evil, and a source of Equality to retain a balance over the land. Equality was the first to rule, and did it well. The world was at peace. It had its Good and its Evil. But as all good things do, that time of peace wouldn't last long. _

Hermione felt a shiver creep down her spine. Hogwarts had never mentioned anything about this before. Making sure that nobody was looking, Hermione quickly slipped the book under her jacket and made her way out of the library to meet Draco. 

~*~*~

Harry Potter sighed rolling over in his bed at the Weasley's house. With Ron's loud snoring, his thoughts of Hermione and the reality of what he had almost done with Voldemort, it was hard for him to get to sleep. Harry had never wanted to join over to Voldemort's side. He hated Voldemort and he loathed everything having to do with him. All he wanted was revenge. To kill Voldemort for what he had done to his parent's and what he had done to his life. But with all the anger inside him, he finally snapped. Harry had to do something, and Voldemort, at the time, had seemed like a good thing to do. 

But it wasn't the right thing to do. There was no way in getting out of what he had done. He had turned to the Dark Side, something he never dreamed of doing. Of course, Dumbledore and Sirius made up some excuse to cover it, but the truth was still there, and it would come out some time. And it would always be there to haunt Harry. Voldemort had a very special talent of doing that. 

Life hadn't been the same since that day. Dumbledore no longer had that proud look in his eye when he looked at Harry, and he could see how ashamed Sirius looked. Ron was even worse. The two always had so much fun together. But this summer, Harry could tell that Ron was being different. He would always agree with what Harry said, almost as if he was nervous to be around him. It was the same with the rest of the Weasley's too.

Harry hadn't seen Hermione since the whole Voldemort event. He felt horrible not talking with her. Many times he had tried to write her, but it was just too hard to tell her how sorry he was. He loved her, but it was too late to confess his feelings. He had waited too long, and she had fallen for Malfoy. Not having Hermione by his side was a horrible feeling. She meant everything to him but had never noticed it until she was gone. 

He sighed again getting up out of bed. What he needed was a good, long walk to take away all the stress. Harry quietly made his way through Ron's bedroom, trying not to make a sound. 

"Harry?" came a childish voice.

"Ginny?" Harry whispered turning around. 

"Yeah, what are you doing up?" Ginny replied nervously. 

"I just needed a walk, that's all," Harry answered. "Care to come?"

"Sure," Ginny said following him outside. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Yeah, but that's mainly because your brother snores so loud," Harry joked as they walked long outside.

"Ron's been known for that," Ginny replied back shivering in her light nightgown. "Harry are you okay? I mean, you haven't been acting your usual self lately." There was a slight pause as the two walked along.

"I don't know, really. Everything's been so crazy with the whole Voldemort thing," he replied angrily but then as he looked into her deep eyes, softened up a bit. "You're the first one who actually had the guts to ask me that. Everyone's been so afraid of me lately. Even Ron."

"Well I'm not," Ginny replied silently, almost not wanting him to hear.

"Thanks Ginny," Harry replied back giving her a smile. Ginny almost fainted. Being with Harry gave her the shivers. She had loved him ever since the first day she had meat him and her feelings for him had never once wavered. She loved everything about him. It didn't help that the Weasley's were poor either. When all the girls in her class had nice clothes, she was stuck with hand-me-downs. Ginny was a pretty girl, and could be very pretty if only her mother had let her wear a little make-up. But Harry had never seen her then more then Ron's little sister. She had always been too little to do anything. And Ginny hated it.

"I mean really. Thanks Ginny," Harry repeated giving her a hug. Ginny practically died. She had never been this close to Harry before. The butterflies in her stomach were unbelievable. "You've been such a great friend to me. You actually pay attention to the things I say and what I do."

"Oh, your welcome," Ginny replied hardly able to talk.

"I've just had so many things on my mind lately. All I can think about is Voldemort and Hermione." 

Ginny frowned. _Damn Hermione,_ she thought. "Arg! What is it with you?" Ginny yelled walked towards the house. 

"Wait Ginny! What did I say?" Harry yelled running after her.

"Just leave me alone and go think of Hermione," Ginny sneered entering her house and slamming the door on Harry's face, feeling very, very angry. 

~*~*~

The End (till the next chapter)

While I was desperately writing away at my computer trying to finish this chapter and frantically trying to think of a name for my character, I heard my little sister listening to the song "Part of Your World," from Disney's 'Little Mermaid' and it gave me a great idea to name my character Ariel. So there's the explanation for her name. The rest of the past generations of Malfoy's name's come from the movie 'The Patriot' and some are just made up. The title for this chapter was a song from the movie, Anastasia. The song at the beginning is by S Club 7 and I thought it described the way Harry feels for Hermione. Anyway, I didn't do this in the first chapter but I thought I'd better do it now so I don't get sued or anything like that. All the HP characters belong to the genius J.K. Rowling, except for Ariel, Nathan, Robert, the rest of the past Malfoy generations, and any other new character that I feel the sudden urge to pop into the story. The whole idea about Hogwarts and Lord Voldemort etc. also belongs to J.K. Rowling, but this particular story line is all mine, so please do not copy. 

Well, now that we've done that, let's get on to better things. How was this chapter? Sorry that it was a little angsty at the beginning but it really had to be. Although, this story is going to be a lot more serious then the last one, but I do try to put some humor into the story also, just to lighten it up a bit. We heard more from Ariel Malfoy, more dreams, more on Draco and Hermione, more on that odd little box, and more about how Harry's doing and how Ginny really feels. I hope none of this is confusing, but if you do find it so, then just listen up in the next couple chapters. If words are missing the letter 'a' then I'm very sorry but the 'a' button on my keyboard is acting very strange. I've asked this once, but I might as well ask it again. If there are any people that read my story and would like to help me out by drawing a picture from my story, then I would appreciate you SO SO SO SO SO SO much! I draw myself, but it's kind of cartoonish and mostly crappy. 

In future chapters: More from the mysterious Ariel Malfoy, more dreams, Draco finds out what's inside the box, Mr. Granger blows his top, and we all go to the burrow! 

Anyway, that's all for now. While your waiting for the next chapter, please join my Draco's Angel Group at [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DracosAngel][1] or visit my homepage at [http://www.homestead.com/amagicalworld/fanfictiondomain.html][2]. Till the next chapter,

. : C y b e r : . : G a l : .

~*~Thanks Section~*~

(Long Reviews are always appreciated)

Kyree (Thanks! About Pansy…well I don't really want to give parts away…but we might not hear anything from her in this story but definitely in DAIII. Am I planing ahead to far? I hope not… Thanks for reviewing!) [**Lady Deathscythe**][3], [**Icicle**][4], **Angelfire Malfoy**, [**LilyAyl**][5], [**haevenstar**][6], **Sanna**, [**silverarrows*****][7], **magical*little*me** (definitely a hidden meaning to Draco's dreams. The box well…we'll find out some more later. Thanks for reviewing!) **leogrl** (Thanks for reviewing! You got your wish. Some Harry in this chapter and a lot more on him later. Perhaps some more Ginny too…) **Indiana jones** (Hey! Sorry I took so long…but since it is summer and it's the last summer before I have to get job, I decided mostly on relaxing and hanging out with friends. But from now on I'm back to schedule and the next chapter is already in progress. Hermione's mom is protective but she likes to let her daughter have freedom as she had as a child. There you go, I put some Harry and Ginny in. But don't forget about Pansy… Sure I'll read the story. Thanks for reviewing! I love your long reviews!) **kirst**, [**Corrina Flame**][8] (Hey! I love your reviews…they're always funny. Sure, I'd be happy to read your fic…whenever ff.net will let me get to it. Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm happy you like to story!) **~*Alyssa*~** (thanks! You're so nice. Hermione's father is probably best said to be based on my relationship with my dad. LOL it's the kind where we both try to annoy each other and she which one bursts first…) 

Would you like to beta read my story? Send an email to [CyberGal120@worldnet.att.net][9]

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	3. The Calm Before the Storm

* Draco's Angel II: Amor Aeturna *

* Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm *

* By Cyber Gal *

When you're weary, feeling small

When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;

I'm on your side. When times get rough

And friends just can't be found,

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

~Eva Cassidy, _Bridge Over Troubled Waters_

Hermione Granger tossed and turned in her bed that night, unable to sleep peacefully. Visions kept invading her mind, not letting her go. She saw a tall man looking sad, a woman with strawberry colored hair sobbing, and a little boy looking around curiously, unaware of what was going on. Her nightmare flashed to a forest landscape with tall mountains toped with snow. There were two men in the distance fighting, and then all of a sudden there was a flash of bright blue light. 

Hermione woke from her dream, breathing heavily. The room was rather warm, so she opened one of the window's letting the cool, night air in. Feeling restless, she got out of bed and crept down the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible. She paused at Draco's room however, and opened the door a bit. As she peered through, Hermione smiled. _Draco looks so peaceful, so innocent,_ Hermione thought. She loved watching him sleep and hearing his steady breathing. There was nothing more in the world that she wanted to do then to be in his arms right now. To take in his smell and feel the rise and fall of his chest. 

But she shut the door instead and walked down the stairs, letting her hunger get the best of her. When Hermione was finished she climbed back up the stairs and tip toed into her room. But as she lay down in her bed and pulled the warm covers around her, she couldn't fall back asleep. There was something unsettled in her brain, something that was bothering her. 

Hermione reached over to her nightstand and turned on the light. And there, on the nightstand was the odd book she had gotten from the library. She picked it up cautiously and opened to the page where she had left off. 

At the beginning of time, when Earth was first young, three forces where made and sent out to rule over the land. A source of Good, a source of Evil, and a source of Equality to retain a balance over the land. Equality was the first to rule, and did it well. The world was at peace. It had its Good and its Evil. But as all good things do, that time of peace wouldn't last long. 

As Equality ruled, both magical and non magical folk lived together peacefully. That time was known as the period of Great Learning. Many things were accomplished and new inventions were created in that period. Equality's ruling lasted for ten year. But after the turn of the century, tragic things started to occur. 

Hermione paused. She didn't know whether to believe what she was reading, or regard it as some kind of joke. But still, the words seemed so real, and it was all very believing. The whole thing was very strange. 

As the new century began, the people became tired of their ordinary lives, and craved something new, something exciting and dangerous. Their Earth lacked a certain feel of adventure, the type of adventure that people need. And so came forth the rebels, a group of men calling themselves the Sons of Evil._ These men and all of their doings would be the first sign of the Dark Side. _

The men came upon a source of power, a power different then wizardry. Instead this power was darker and more evil. It could give you everything you wanted, but in order to use the power, it required you signing a contract. In other words, it meant selling your sole. 

With this new power, then men over ran Equality's Empire and ruined everything the people had tried to accomplish in the last century. The Son's of Evil banished Equality and Good to lifetime of being looked up, and set out their master, Evil. 

Hermione yawned, and looked over at her clock, realizing how late it was. She flipped through the rest of the book quickly, looking at some of the pictures. As she flipped to the last page, Hermione noticed three brass keys, each with a different word on them. A smooth silver one read _Bonum,_ the dark black one said _Malum, _and a third, copper key read _Aequalitas._

Keys? Hermione asked herself. _But for what?_ She sighed closing the book. Hermione lay down in her bed, thinking it all over. Finally, she drifted off to sleep feeling very, very confused. 

* * *

Ron Weasley sat in the small wooden desk in his room, tapping his quill impatiently, try to think of what to write to Hermione. But as he sat there, debating over his choice of words, the only thing he could come up with was, _Dear Hermione_. It was hard to put together the words to describe the summer he had been having. In fact, Ron's summer had been horrible. Harry and him used to have so much fun together. But this year, it was different. Ron felt nervous around Harry; after what had happened in their previous school year, anybody would be. When the two did talk in was never of Quidditch or any of old things they loved to talk about, it was darker: things about Voldemort, and things about their future. 

Dear Hermione,

My summer has been, well, I'll just say it hasn't been one of my favorites. I guess it's because eof everything that happened last year. Harry's been so different lately, I just don't feel comfortable around him. Harry's really changed, he's just not the person he used to be. But it's not just Harry, Ginny's been acting strange too. She's been so…angry lately, and she won't tell anyone what's wrong. 

Ron stopped to re-read his letter. It sounded all right, just very depressing.

Anyway, I won't bore you any longer with my summer. How's your summer been? I can't believe it's going to be our last year of Hogwarts. It seemed only last year that we were entering Hogwarts for the first time. Time flew by fast; I can hardly believe it.

Sincerely,

Ron

PS: If you'd like to come up and stay for the last week of summer vacation, mum said it would be all right. I would appreciate someone else to talk to.

Ron put down his quill and started to fold up the letter. He tied it tightly around Pig's leg and she flew off into the night. Ron yawned and glanced at his watch quickly. 11:37, it read. He had totally lost track of time. 

The summer was almost over, and yet Ron felt that he hadn't done anything. Every year before summer had gone so fast, but this year it seemed to drag on and never end. For the first time in his life he wanted to go back to school. It would be a lot better then staying at home. 

* * *

Pansy Parkinson starred into her full-length mirror, looking over her features. Her long blond hair reached down to her waist now and her pale face looked almost perfect with not even a freckle to be seen. Pansy was indeed a very pretty girl. She smiled slightly trying to bring out the sparkle in her bright blue eyes. 

At a time when she was younger she had been beautiful. She used to be such a cheery girl, who always wore a smile on her face. And her eyes had always shown brightly, sparkling at every possible opportunity. But when the era of Voldemort had risen and her family was forced to turn to him, that sparkle had died, and the cheery part of Pansy had fled along with it. With the influence of Voldemort, her smile had been replaced with an ugly frown. Her eyes had turned to a misty pool of ice, a force impenetrable. 

Pansy hated Voldemort more then ever. She hated him for what he had done to her family and to other families. He had ruined people's lives. She had once had a happy life. A life filled with laugher and fun. But that was gone. It was all a memory now. 

Pansy sighed. Being put in Slytherin hadn't helped a bit. It was always so dark there, so cold. More and more she found herself being placed in situations where her smile and sparkle were not welcome. And so she did not use them. But unfortunately in Pansy's case, remembering how to smile was not as easy as remembering how to ride a bike.

Pansy sat down on her bed, flipping through an album of pictures she had collected over the years. She flipped through pictures of her childhood, and through pictures of Hogwarts. In one she saw herself and Draco dancing at the Yule Ball two years ago. 

That was nice, Pansy thought to herself. She had been in love with Draco since she had first met him. But she had always known that love was only one sided. He had never loved her back. His heart had always been elsewhere. Although Pansy knew that, she didn't want to admit it. Now he was with someone else, although Pansy had know idea who. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy towards the girl who had stolen his heart. 

But maybe it was for the better, Pansy debated with herself. _Perhaps it was not meant to be._ She was a strong believer in destiny and fate; Divination had always been her favorite subject. But as she thought it over, she liked being with Draco for his companionship. He may had not loved her, but the two could really relate. Pansy needed that companionship, it added a spark to her dull life. She was, after all, a hopeless romantic.

[A/N: Pansy, a hopeless romantic? Who would have thought…]

Pansy closed her album and slid it back onto it's spot on her shelf. Outside the sun was starting to set. Pansy walked to her window and peered outside. The sky was a mixture of blues and pinks and purples. All the rights signs of a beautiful day for tomorrow. And for the first time in a very long time, Pansy smiled. She had always enjoyed looking at the sunsets, and this one gave her a sign of hope. A sign that maybe better days were coming. For an instant, the sparkle returned to her eyes. 

And for that instant, Pansy knew. Maybe her life wasn't that bad after all. She saw a quick glimpse of the future. She saw herself, a little older, and she was smiling and laughing. There was someone else there too. A boy, the same age as her. The two were laughing and having fun. Pansy began to see the boy more clearer. He had messy black hair, and funny little glasses. And right on his forehead was a slender scar…

* * *

Ariel Malfoy awoke slowly to the sound of her young son crying. She picked him up and gently rocked him back to sleep, humming a little lullaby. She laid him back down carefully and made her way into the kitchen, the tip of her ling nightgown trailing along the floor. But she stopped suddenly, for a small gleaming object stood on the table in front of her. It was the infamous box that Nathan had never let out of his site. But here it was, in the broad of daylight, alone on the table open for anyone to touch. 

The box looked quite odd among the Malfoy's plain furniture. Their furniture consisted of only a plain wooden pattern, while the box stood out with its precise details and bright silver snakes. In fact it looked quite alien, like it wasn't meant to be there. 

From the moment she had she had walked into the kitchen, Ariel knew there was something wrong. Every inch of her body was screaming 'DANGER!' at the top its lungs. But she ignored the voices and ran to the box hurriedly. 

"If this box is here, so is Nathan," Ariel muttered to herself talking very fast. She searched the whole house from bedroom to bathroom, but Nathan was no where to be seen. She ran to his office, but it was locked. She banged her fists hard on the door until her hands became red. But he wasn't there, and she knew it. 

Ariel ran back into the kitchen, tears welling up in her eyes, not knowing of anything else to do. As she walked to the table, she noticed that the box was open. And as she stared inside it, she could see a cloud of dark blue magic swirling around. Ariel became fascinated with the cloud, and couldn't take her eyes away from it. As she lifted a hand to touch it, everything went black. 

Draco woke up from his dream feeling dizzy. Having these dreams was taking a lot of energy out of him. It was like in his dreams, he was living some one else's life. He could see everything that Ariel did. He could feel her emotions, her pain, and see every thought inside her head. It was something that Draco had never felt before, and it was rather overwhelming. 

Draco made his way out of the house and into the Granger's back yard. It was a cool summer night and the only light visible was that of the moon. All around him it was quite. Draco sat down on a piece of lawn furniture and looked up at the sky. Never before had he realized that he was but one person on this large spinning world. Being with Hermione had made him realize things like that. Before, Draco had taken everything for granted. But now, it was like he was given a second chance, and this time, he wasn't going to waste it. Now he noticed the small things, rather then the larger ones.

Draco leaned back on his chair and breathed in deeply. Everything around him was so peaceful, so calm. Or at least, it was…

* * *

Harry Potter stood at the foot of Ginny's door, debating whether or not to go inside. A Part of him wanted to run in there, apologize to her and make everything right again. But yet, another part of him wanted to never be bothered by anything again. To be able to forget and never have another worry or care. But that was impossible, and Harry knew it. He made mistakes but now was the time to fix them, and move on. 

"Ginny," Harry said knocking lightly on the door.

"What do you want," came her voice from behind the door sounding irritated. 

"Can I come in?" Harry asked apologetically. 

"No," she replied. "Just go away Harry. I don't want to talk to any one, let alone you." 

"Ginny please," Harry begged opening the door a bit. Ginny sat on her bed leaning over a pile of papers. "What are you doing?" he asked trying to make some conversation.

"None of your business," she scowled putting her papers away.

"For whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry," Harry said sitting down on the bed next to her. "It's been a really rough summer, and I don't want you to be mad at me. You're one of my closest friends Gin." 

Friend? Ginny asked herself scowling. _God Harry, is that all I'll ever be to you?_ Ever since Ginny had first seen Harry, she had loved him. All these years she had loved him, but he had never loved her back. He only saw her as Ron's little sister, or just a close friend. Ginny had tried so hard to move on. To stop loving him the way she did. But it was useless. She couldn't stop loving him. 

She saw the way he looked at Hermione. The way he obsessed about her, the hunger in his eyes. All Ginny wanted was to be at the end of the line to which Harry wanted to peruse. She was jealous of Hermione, very jealous. Hermione never once realized what she had, nor did she care. The Harry Potter was in love with her, and all she did was prance around with that Malfoy boy like she didn't have a care in the world. 

"Harry just leave, please," Ginny said a little less harshly then before. 

"If you say so," Harry replied sounding defeated. "But Ginny, I'm sorry for whatever I said. I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I'd never hurt you." With that he walked out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

I know you'll never hurt me Harry, Ginny though to herself. _But you'll never love me either. _

* * *

The End (until Chapter 4 is done!)

Let me first start off with my most sincere apology. I am very sorry that I took so long in getting this chapter out. But before you all start to get out your weapons and throw them at me, let me just tell you this. I have a policy in everything I do. That policy is that I only do things that are fun to be, and if they are not fun, then I see no point in doing them. Writing, all though this may seem pathetic to some of you, is fun to me. I write because I enjoy doing so. But last month I did not so I put the story off to a hold. Plus, with the recent tragedies going on in my country, America, it just didn't feel right. Anyway, I'm back now, and I have tons of new ideas. And so the story goes on. If I don't get a chapter out exactly when I say I will, don't worry. I will never give up this story. I promise. But with school and everything, it just might take me a little longer.

Anyway, how was this chapter? I hope you all enjoyed it. Finally some Pansy for those of you Pansy lovers. Who was the boy in Pansy's little glimpse…? (I bet you all can guess that) I'm sorry about the seriousness in these past chapters, but it is needed. I will fluff it up a bit as the series goes along. I personally like serious fics, but that's just me. Don't like how the story is turning out? Then tell me, and I'll see what I can do to make it better. 

Words in Latin:

Bonum = Good, Malum = Evil, and Aequalitas = Equality 

In future chapters: More visits from Ariel Malfoy, more dreams with hidden meanings, Mr. Granger blows his top, Voldemort and Lucius return, and we all go to the burrow!

Forever your devoted writer,

.:cyber gal:.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DracosAngel 

http://www.geocities.com/fanfictiondomain 

~*~Thanks Section~*~

(Long Reviews are always appreciated)

Thanks Claire for beta reading!

Silveray (I haven't heard you screaming! No just kidding. Don't worry, I will write more.) **Indiana jones** (HEY! I love your reviews. I'm sorry about the chapter taking so long, really I am. But I will always continue this story, I promise. Where do I live? Well in New Jersey. And now that I'm in 8th grade and close to turning 14, next summer I can get a job. Get what I'm saying…anyway, thanks for reviewing!) **Rei**, **Elizabeth** (don't worry, I'll continue. Your questions will be answered in the next chapters. I'm glad you like my story!) Draco's Lil Angel, Trance, Arime Setta (Ah, a faithful reviewer! Yes, Ginny is pissed off…very pissed) **magical*little*me** (Yes, the two boxes are the same. Harry is thoughtless, your right. But he'll get better. Ginny and Harry together? Well…we'll see…) **sanna**

Want to beta read my stories?

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Email me at CyberGal120@worldnet.att.net


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